The Adler Report meeting and the March on HELCO are both happening this week!

Puna Pono Alliance

Save Pohoiki- Stop the RFP Campaign

March on HELCO

The March on HELCO will start at 10:00 am this Saturday, August 17th in front of Pahoa High School. Then proceed along the Mauka side of Highway 130 to the Shower Dr./Pohaku Drive where there will be a campsite. 8.5miles

On the second day of the March on HELCO, Sunday August 18th we will start walking along the Mauka side of Highway 130 toward Kea’au. We will be walking on the Mauka side of the Highway to Puainako Street where there will be a campsite. 9.4miles

On the last day of the March on HELCO Monday August 19th at 10:00 am we will walk down Highway 11 toward to HELCO Offices a 1200 Kilauea Avenue in Hilo Hawaii. (across from the Hilo Shopping Center).

There are plans to have a sign waving demonstration already in progress so we will be walking to join them and gather in front of HELCO to present our petition asking HELCO to please stop the RFP. 2.2 miles.

Come join your neighbors for 'some or all the march' and help protect Puna from More Geothermal Development

Marchers - Your gear and supplies will be transported to the camp site by the Transportation Committee Members. The Camp site will be prepared and broken down by the Camp Site Committee Members.

Food will be provided by the food committee with your generous donations.

Hope to see you there and we could use all the help you can give. Please contact Steve Sparks at

Members of the geothermal public health assessment study group will be taking public testimony on August 15 at the Pahoa Community Center, from 3.30 to 8pm.

Several Puna Pono Alliance members reviewed the report. Below are some issues they found. You can develop your own comments, or develop one or more of the ones listed below. Testimony will be limited to 2 or 3 minutes.

Dr. Kilburn was chosen by the community as the researcher of choice to do a Puna Health Study on H2S. He is a respected and trusted researcher. The report should explicitly recommend that he lead the effort. On page 14 the report speaks of a mandate that prevents specific recommendations. But there is no such written mandate. Who mandated this and in what forum?

The Legator Study is not mentioned with other studies about geothermal in Puna. (Health Complaints, Finding 2, Page 35 and following) Additionally the Legator Study is not in the Puna specific health studies in the bibliography. It should be included in both portions. Dr. Legator seriously studied the impacts of health on the community.

In the Initial Interviews section (page 15), one narrative that was not mentioned is the outrage by Native Hawaiian Pele Practitioners. That could be called the Cultural Impact Narrative. Additionally in Recommendation 1, page 42, this outrage is not discussed at part of the cause of possible health effects that are being examined, even though it clearly should be.

The report makes no mention of baseline studies being required for future geothermal development. Such studies are recommended by most groups that study geothermal development (e.g., Union of Concerned Scientists) and environmental groups like the Sierra Club.

Recommendation 5 (Assure credibility, reliability, independence of experts) is long and complicated. It is also probably unworkable in that informed, concerned members of the community probably already have an opinion. If not, they are living on another planet.

Again, concerning Recommendation 5. The impacted community should have a stronger voice in the selection. Why not let the community submit a recommendation for the study to the County for approval? Finally, the idea that the County wants an “open, objective, and scientifically valid” selection does not match the history of County interactions with the community.

The criteria for evacuation of community members currently is inadequate and Recommendation 7 (page 58) does not discuss this issue. Especially important is the identification of the at-risk individuals and the setting of limits to protect them from potentially harmful exposures.

The means for evacuation of the most seriously threatened individuals is not well laid out. But this is not discussed in Recommendation 7, page 58

Reading through the report, it is clear that monitoring is inadequate, regulatory control is often inadequate, emergency response is inadequate, and actual health impacts have been inadequately studied. Additionally, it would seem that the State limits on H2S exposure are insufficient to protect the public. These conclusions should be said explicitly and forcefully in the Executive Summary.

Things you can help with...this week

SIGN WAVING:

Come do sign waving in Pahoa by the Pahoa sign near Aloha Gas. If you don't want Puna to become an industrial zone please come! It's fun and a great community building activity!

T shirt Table at Pohoiki, Friday 16th any time. We need a point person for this... anybody willing?

Call Mr. Ignacio (808) 969-0121 and tell him you support the campaign to stop the RFP. If he's not there leave a message on his answer phone.

Geoff would like help, as he is so busy with the PPA booth at Maku'u Market, etc. We have a clothing rack that T shirts can be hung on. We need a responsible person willing to take this on. Please contact Geoff sairam2@hawaiiantel.net

Table at Abundant LIfe in Hilo, contact Wayneinsipid.brilliance@gmail.com We need more people willing to sit with the petition, it's fun! Anytime of day.

What are the larger issues and overall considerations of using geothermal as an alternative energy source in the Hawaiian Islands? Government and industry leaders are saying that geothermal is the best answer for Hawaii, and are fast tracking the development of more plants on various islands. Critics, and local people who live near the one existing plant, question the wisdom and economic feasibility of building more plants.

Is geothermal energy really clean and green in Hawaii? What happens when a large corporation develops in a low income, rural area? And who is responsible if there are accidents? Who really is benefiting from such developments? What are the cultural effects on the Hawaiian people and their traditions?

Is geothermal in Hawaii fair to everyone? Recent laws allow very little local input and control, so now exploration and development of geothermal can happen without consideration of who is living nearby, or what the impacts on the land would be. Currently, proposals for plants are approved and funded before any public input is allowed.

Monitoring and regulation of the industry in Hawaii is very lax, with no water testing and no heavy metal monitoring, and probably deficient air monitoring. Hawaii County and state governments get royalty payments from the geothermal profits, making a conflict of interests.

Pohoiki is a beautiful beach park with naturally occurring hot springs and a great fishing and surf spot, used by many local people. Several companies are targeting this place and others in East Hawaii for geothermal and industrial projects, even though it's right in the middle of neighborhoods, and the land is naturally prone to earthquakes and lava flows. Bids will be chosen in Fall 2013 by Hawaii Electric for new projects, so now is the time to speak out and protect our lands from environmental toxins, poison gasses, light pollution, extra noise and traffic.

If you wish to stay informed about community action and receive the Puna Pono Alliance Newsletter and Bob Petricci's Updates directly, email newsletter@punapono.com with NEWSLETTER in the subject line.

We sometimes ask for people to come out and support us with testimony, especially when important legislation is being passed. This can be done in person or by email. If you have never given testimony but would like to, we can guide you in this process. It is an empowering thing to do and an action that is of immense value when it comes to passing legislation. When the people speak en masse, the politicians listen!

Visit the Puna Pono Alliance booth at Maku'u Market on Sundays, and pick up information there. Talk to your neighbors, work colleagues, family and friends about the future you want for Puna.

If you want to get involved, there are lots of ways to help. If you
have a skill that would be useful, have questions, want information, can donate time or money or want to come to our weekly meetings, please contact barb@punapono.comor call (808) 339-4344

Puna Pono Alliance needs funds to keep up the fight for Puna, please contribute by credit card or Paypal at punapono.com/contribute or by check to PO Box 492-668, Keaau, Hi 96749. All checks should be made out to Puna Pono Alliance.

If you are getting this newsletter from a friend and would like to receive it yourself directly, please email punapono@gmail.com with "Newsletter", in the subject line.

Puna Pono Alliance

A Community group working for Puna and Hawai'i

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